Friday, 13 July 2012

TRAIN CRASH KILLS 20 IN SOUTH AFRICA

At least 20 people have been killed and more than 20 others injured after a train collided into a truck in South Africa, police and emergency service confirmed.

However it is expected that the death toll might rise.

The coal tarin ploughed into the truck, carrying farm workers on their way to pick fruits at a nearby farm, on Friday in Mpumalanga province.

"It ia a very gruesome scene, Some bodies are without heads and some without limbs". Police spokesman Joseph Mabusa said

Provincial community safety
department spokesman Joseph Mabuza added that the train dragged the truck for
about 200 metres, leaving bodies with limbs missing scattered on the
ground.

The Railway Safety Regulator (RSR)
said the coal train had been travelling from Witbank to Maputo. RSR
spokesman Sibongiseni Henna said there were 44 people on the truck.

“No injuries to the train crew or damage to the train or (railway) infrastructure were registered,” he said.

Safety inspectors were at the scene.

However Cosatu spokesman Patrick Craven said the accident was an example of poor labour practices.

“This terrible tragedy exposes
once again the scandal of workers bring transported in open trucks. In a
country where drivers and passengers of cars are legally obliged to
wear seatbelts, how can we tolerate workers being transported with
absolutely no protection in the event of an accident?”

South Africa's government has announced plans to spend billions of dollars on revamping its creaking rail network.